Invasion of Privacy
by liliace
Summary: There are many differences between the muggle world and the magical world. The notion of privacy, Dean has come to find, is one of them. (In which a muggleborn is baffled at how easily wizards and witches breach others' privacy and don't find anything wrong with it.)
1. Worst Fear

_A/N: Okay, so the idea for this fic came from love potions, which is actually the subject of the third chapter. The main character is Dean mainly because he's ignored most of the time and because I figured Hermione would've dealt with the situations differently (than what I wanted), and I needed a Gryffindor muggleborn from their year._

_Each chapter is a one-shot that can be read alone, but they all take place in the same AU in my mind. Oh and I have three chapters currently written, not sure if I'll write more. I'll post the other chapters soon._

_First (the bold) paragraph is taken directly from HP &amp; PoA._

**_Warnings for this chapter: allusions to rape, sexual abuse of a minor, and gore._**

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**Invasion of Privacy**

**Chapter 1: Worst fear**

"**Right, Neville", said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"**

"Wait, what? You're asking him a question like that in front of the entire class?" Dean piped up. His fellow students turned to look at him, as he wasn't the most vocal of people in classes, and noticed that he was frowning and looking upset for some reason. Lupin looked a tad confused but smiled reassuringly at the boy.

"It's better to be prepared before you face a boggart: know what it is that scares you the most. That way you can think about how to make the apparition funny beforehand," the professor explained calmly, yet this seemed to make Dean even more incredulous.

"So you're having him – us – _face_ a boggart in front of the entire class? One's biggest fear is not something you should just shout to everyone else! It's private," Dean protested vehemently, mumbling the last part and looking slightly embarrassed. Most of the students grinned, thinking that the fledgling artist was scared of something ridiculous, such as a clown or dogs.

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Mr. Thomas, no need to be nervous. And surely you can't be suggesting that your fellow Gryffindors would take advantage of knowing your deepest fear?" Lupin reassured the boy. To Dean, it couldn't have been any more patronizing, and he felt his temper rising.

"Fine. Obviously, seeing as I'm only 13, you know better. Since children clearly can never have genuine concerns about something," he spit out, glaring at his professor, who, along with all of the students, looked taken aback. They clearly had not expected such a vehement response from the normally mild-mannered boy.

"Right… So, Neville, would you mind coming up?" Lupin continued the lesson, only occasionally shooting glances at Dean.

The Gryffindor artist stared stubbornly ahead and observed the happenings around him with only half a mind. He was wondering how to get out of having to face the creature, as he most definitely didn't want others to know about that part of himself. The others seemed excited, if slightly nervous, and clearly didn't share his worries.

Finally, after Neville, Parvati, and Seamus had faced the boggart, Professor Lupin told Dean to come forward. The boy tried to protest, and refused to move, telling the Professor that he did not want to face the creature.

"Dean, I know that it may seem scary, but you can do it. If you refuse to participate in this class, I'll have to give you a troll," Lupin said reassuringly and smiled at the boy who couldn't help but stare at the professor incredulously.

"Have you been listening to anything I said? I will face the boggart, but just not _in front of everyone else_," Dean repeated his stand slowly. The other Gryffindors shot him odd glances, and decided that their housemate needed encouraging, as he clearly was scared (a feeling not befitting a Gryffindor).

"Come on, Dean, it's not that bad! Look, I managed to do it, it's not hard!" Seamus pointed at the boggart which was still in a loop of hideous creatures (and creature parts). Ron, Harry, and even Neville nodded at their roommate and told him that facing his fears wouldn't be that bad. Ron and Harry, as they hadn't yet had to face the boggart, were nervous too, but clearly couldn't wait to have their turns. Dean would have thought that the Boy-Who-Lived would understand him, seeing as he had seen and experienced his fair share of horrifying things over the years (the artistic Gryffindor also suspected that they didn't know even half of what was really going on in the wizarding world's hero's adventures). But Harry just smiled reassuringly at Dean, and it was at that point that his patience snapped. They clearly didn't understand that there was a good reason why he didn't want to face the creature. Well, actions spoke louder than words, Dean thought angrily before finally walking to the front of the classroom.

"Good, Dean! Now, just remember the wand movement…" Lupin told him, clearly proud of the preteen for deciding to face his fears. The boy glared at him before looking at the boggart and taking a deep breath.

The creature began to slowly change shape, until finally it turned into two people – Dean, and a man. The man, not that anyone else knew it, was one of Dean's mother's previous boyfriends – whom she had dumbed long ago, and who had ended up in prison. The reason for that wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out in the face of Dean's boggart.

Everyone drew in a breath, and Lavender let out what sounded like a horrified whimper. No one said anything, and Dean – the original, not the boggart copy – looked on resolutely before raising his shaking wand hand. He steeled himself and tried hard not to cry as he looked at the face of himself, tear streaks down his face, lower lip bit so hard that it was bleeding, and the hands of the other man on his body. Dean could imagine the whispers – "It's okay", "This won't hurt", "This'll be our secret" – almost as if the man was actually saying them. He took in a deep breath, reminded himself that it was just a boggart, and shouted "Riddikulus" while performing the proper wand movements.

The boggart changed itself into a body, lying down on the ground, its face so beat up that you couldn't make out who it was. Dean however, being the one who had cast the spell, knew that the corpse belonged to the previously seen man, and that it's rectum was bleeding just as much as the wounds on its stomach. It may have looked like the stuff of nightmares, but it was what the teenager had imagined many a night; what might be happening to the man in prison, especially if the other prisoners knew of his crimes.

A small smile tilted the boy's lips before he remembered his anger and turned to glare at the professor once more. Lupin, along with all the students, were white and had wide eyes. Dean could hear some of the girls (he guessed Lavender and Parvati, Hermione had more control than that) crying but resolutely ignored the signs of pity.

"Was that to your satisfaction, Professor?" Dean asked icily before glancing at the other students and walking out the door. As soon as he was in the corridor, he took off in a run and managed to get to a bathroom before sinking down to his knees and failing to keep the tears away.

He would sob in that small stall until dinner, when he would realize the time and make his way to the dorm room. There he would ignore the sounds of his roommates turning in, and just lay in bed for hours before sleep, along with nightmares, claimed him.

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_A/N: The other chapters are milder, but I needed something to drive the point home in this one. And seriously, I can't be the only one who wouldn't want their fears told to everyone._

_If you're wondering what happened to Dean's school bag, one of the other boys grabbed it and took it to their dorm. Yes, he also skipped the rest of his classes that day. And yes, one of the professors talked to him about his boggart (and made sure he isn't being sexually abused anymore)._

_(Oh and according to my memory the Gryffindors didn't share their third year DADA class with any other houses in the book. Do correct me if I'm wrong, though.)_

_Reviews are golden, and if you have any ideas for future chapters (aka breaches of privacy in HP canon) feel free to share them ^^_


	2. Reading Minds

_A/N: The chapters are not in any chronological order; I'm posting them in the same succession as I wrote them._

_No warnings for this chapter, and the bold paragraph is taken directly from HP &amp; PS._

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**Chapter 2: Reading minds**

"**When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

Dean had been nervous about the sorting, which was why he didn't think about the Hat's song too much while listening to it, but now he was beginning to wonder what precisely it was that the Hat did. It had mentioned something about being able to see everything in their heads, but surely that meant some kind of a personality test or something.

However, when the Sorting Hat shouted 'Hufflepuff' without seemingly doing anything besides sitting on the girl's head, Dean began to get a bad feeling about the whole ordeal. He waited for his turn with baited breath and forgot to really pay much attention to where the others had been sorted.

When McGonagall finally called for 'Thomas, Dean', the aspiring artist walked apprehensively towards the stool and sat on it. The professor lowered the Sorting Hat onto his head, and he fisted the material of his cloak tightly. Absently he wondered if the others had been as nervous or if he was alone in his concern.

"Interesting. I see that you're worried about –" That was as far as the Hat got before Dean drew it off his head, stood up, and threw the head piece onto the stool. There was shocked silence for a moment, until McGonagall apparently gathered herself together and puffed up in indignation.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Thomas?" she demanded. Dean cowered momentarily before gathering his courage and staring at the professor. He tried to ignore the looks he knew were surely directed at him and focused on the problem. If he had glanced towards the High Table, he would have seen the stunned expressions on most of the professors' faces. They had never seen anyone take the Sorting Hat off before it had sorted the student.

"It can read minds?" Dean asked with a misleadingly blank visage.

"Yes, that is how the Hat sorts everyone. Is there a problem?" the Headmaster answered instead of Professor McGonagall, and those that knew the aging man noticed that he seemed confused, though the twinkle in his eyes didn't disappear just yet.

"I don't know. Can it tell anyone what it reads in our minds? If so, does it have a conscious which then decides what it tells? Does it have a personality which can affect its judgement? Is it normal for objects here to read minds? Is this legal? Why did no one ask for our permission? Are the students aware what a slight this is to their privacy? Is the Hat conscious when it's not being used? If it is, does it think about what it found in our brains? Does it remember the memories after it's been taken off? What are the bounds in which it can or cannot share our thoughts or memories with someone?"

If there was silence when Dean had taken the Sorting Hat off his head, it was nothing compared to the quietness of the room after he had finished his barricade of questions. Even Dumbledore was shocked speechless for a moment just like the other professors. The young boy could also feel stares on his back, as he had turned to address the Headmaster, and he was sure that most students were either wondering at his guts to do that in front of everyone, or thinking about the questions he had raised and what the answers to them would be.

Finally, Dumbledore managed to gather himself and send a grandfatherly smile to Dean, who simply bristled. He would not be brushed off. The aging wizard appeared to realize this.

"Mr. Thomas, I can assure you that nothing the Hat sees in your mind goes to the wrong ears," the Headmaster tried to appease Dean, but the young boy simply started to glare at him.

"Wrong ears? Who is the judge of that? Can or can it not share what it finds out with someone else?" the artist pressed. The other professors frowned at him for being so rude to the Headmaster, but they stayed silent, trusting Dumbledore to handle it.

"I can't tell anyone your thoughts, feelings or memories," the Hat itself answered the boy. "I can only share my impressions – who might have been suited for other houses, who might cause trouble in the future – with the Headmaster. Everything else is between the student and I. And as I was created for the purpose of sorting students, that's what I do, and nothing more; I don't ponder on the students' memories or thoughts after the sorting unless the student themselves come seek me out."

Dean stared at the head piece imploringly and tried to gauge its truthfulness. He glanced at Dumbledore and saw him nod, which lead the young wizard to slowly accept the legitimacy of the Sorting Hat's words.

"Fine then. Do you need me to put you back on or did you find enough to sort me already?" Dean asked the Hat – and didn't he feel just ridiculous for doing so.

"I believe that based on what I saw in your head and this performance of yours, you would be best suited for GRYFFINDOR!"

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_A/N: As a kid I wouldn't have found anything wrong with the Sorting, but now I think I'd rather take the troll over something poking around in my head. And I definitely wouldn't want the Hat sharing the memories or thoughts it picked up from my head with anyone else._

_I'll post the next chapter next week at the latest. I'll try to get it up before this Friday as I'm going to London then, but if not, it'll probably be posted on Thursday when I'm back home._

_It's also the last chapter I have written, but thanks to pfanna (a huge shoutout to them!) I have new ideas I'd like to explore in this fic, so this won't be marked as complete. Those future chapters might take a while, though._


	3. Date Rape Drugs

_A/N: I realized I had forgotten to put up a disclaimer. So: no, I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it - except a snitch badge and a couple of T-shirts, but I don't think they give me rights to the story or characters._

_Explanations for the chapter at the end like always._

_**Warnings for this chapter: mentions of (hypothetical) rape/sexual assault and mind altering substances.**_

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**Chapter 3: Date rape drugs**

"So it has come to my attention that some of you have been planning on slipping others love potions," Dean remarked as he stood up on a table in the Gryffindor common room. No one had been paying too much attention to him before, but his rather loud statement gathered the attention of a few, who then proceeded to poke their friends into watching him as well.

"I'd like to have a moment of your time to remind you that it is, in fact, Not Okay to drug someone with a love potion, even if it's a legal one," the artist continued. The Gryffindors stared at him and wondered what he was on about now.

"Please refrain from drugging people. That's all," Dean said and went to step down, but a protesting noise from one of the girls drew his attention and forced him to stay where he was. Dean wasn't quite sure if he should have a Q&amp;A moment there, but he figured his point wouldn't really seem strong if he excused himself now.

"Yes?" he motioned for the girl to go on. She blushed heavily, glancing around her when she realized that everyone was looking at her now, but ploughed on anyway.

"If the love potion is legal, there's nothing wrong with using them," she said with a mild glare at Dean. Others glanced between them, but no one interrupted or added their opinion, so Dean figured he had to explain it to the girl.

"You might not get in trouble for it, but all love potions affect the mind of another human and thus damage their ability to think clearly," Dean told with a wide sweep of his hand, hoping that the others would get his point at that. However, it was pretty obvious that they didn't.

"But the legal ones are very mild!" another girl protested. The artistic sixth year furrowed his brows at her, and wondered whether or not it would be rude to ask if she had hearing problems. In the end, he decided to simply repeat himself.

"Yes, but they are still affecting the recipient's mind," he stressed his words. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to clear things up either.

"But they don't harm them," the girl who had first spoken up exclaimed. Dean took a moment to stare at her and then look around, realizing that most of the others seemed to be agreeing with her. Thankfully, at least Hermione and Harry both looked grim and most likely understood what he was trying to say.

"They don't, but what about the one who gave it to them?" Dean questioned then. Everyone glanced at each other confusedly, causing him to sigh deeply. "I mean that the one who gave a love potion to someone can harm that recipient.

"Let's say I gave it to Lavender – sorry for using you as an example – and then proceeded to snog her heavily when she came to me all 'in love'. When the potion would wear off, don't you think she'd feel horrible and disgusted at me for taking advantage of her state – and for putting her in that state to begin with?" Dean asked. He had realized a while ago that the magical world had no idea about feminism, and while there were strong female figures at points of authority, there was also a huge divide between men and women; thus, the others were more likely to get the point if he presented a girl as the recipient of a love potion.

"Of course I would," Lavender spoke up, still looking baffled. That seemed to be the most common expression around the room and Dean had to fight really hard not to hit his head against a wall or sigh deeply and roll his eyes.

"So don't you think boys would feel that way too?" This time it was Harry who had asked the question; not too surprising since he had been the intended recipient of many love potions, and having to watch what you ate and drank was bound to get tiring soon. It was in fact him who had inspired this little scene; Dean had heard Hermione warn him about Romilda Vane's love potion, which caused the artist to realize just how messed up things were in the wizarding world.

"Well, no? They're teenage boys, and they love to snog…" another girl said hesitantly. Most of the girls were nodding along, while some of the guys offered their support and some looked upset.

"If they 'love to snog', you wouldn't have to resort to potions, would you? And the point here is not whether or not they'd want it; it's that you can't know that they would want it since they can't offer their consent when influenced by a love potion," Dean explained further. He was getting rather frustrated with how slowly the others were understanding his meaning, but it wouldn't do to give up now. Most of the battle was – hopefully – already won.

"But what if they just need encouragement?" the first girl asked.

Dean stared at her like she was crazy, and then repeated with an emphasis on each word: "You. Can't. Know. That."

"Look, the issue here is about consent. Would you have sex with someone who proclaimed their love to you because of a potion? If your answer is no – which is should be, because that would be rape – you obviously understand that they can't consent to sex while drugged. So while snogging is 'not as bad', it's still assaulting someone who isn't capable of giving their consent at the moment."

Oh Merlin, Dean could have kissed Hermione at that moment. The girl was obviously smart, and apparently that cleverness extended to real life problems. Thank goodness they had her.

When the murmurs turned agreeing and the looks of bafflement into understanding, Dean jumped down from the table and with a nod of thanks towards both Hermione and Harry he made his way to the boys' dorm. He couldn't deal with any more stupidity or remainders of just how archaic the magical world was right then.

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_A/N: Seriously, I was horrified by the idea of love potions. I get that there are some milder ones and stuff (some that even Fred and George sell at their shop) but they have to still make the recipient in some way more compliant to the giver's suggestions or simply make them like the giver more. And even that is a big deal in my opinion, considering all the ways someone could take advantage of that._

_And really, Ron in HBP? That was so so wrong and terrifying. I can't see how anyone could think that Amortentia is okay._

_(Also, the mention about the magical world lacking feminism; I don't think women get paid less or anything, but there are some instances where women and men are treated differently. And since feminism is asking for equality between the genders, I felt justified putting it there.)_

_Anyway, sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I know I promised it yesterday at the latest. And __I have no idea when the next chapter is coming up as I don't know when I'll write for this fic (it could be days or months, depending on my mood and yes I suck) so I apologize in advance for that._


	4. Magical Eyes

_A/N: Sorry it has taken me this long to update! (I did warn you, though)_

_This chapter is dedicated to pfanna as they were the one who came up with the idea and thus inspired me to write it. (Should I put up a disclaimer? "Even the idea is not mine, it's all pfanna's")_

**_Warnings for this chapter: mentions of possible spying on people in bathrooms and dorms etc (and a slight mention of pedophilia) (nothing detailed of either, though)_**

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**Chapter 4: Magical eyes**

"Hey, Harry," Dean called out as he noticed the Boy Who Lived and his two best friends making their way to the dorms.

"Yeah?" Ron was the one who answered; needless to say, it was probably because so many had been approaching Harry with stupid questions ever since the last task and Diggory's death.

Nevertheless, all three of them made their way to the armchair where Dean was sitting on in the Gryffindor common room, and Dean gave them a hopefully reassuring smile.

"I'm not going to ask about whatever happened when you disappeared," he started with, watching as the others' expressions lost some of their suspicion. "I'm more curious about what happened when you got back."

The three exchanged glances.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, suspicion and curiosity warring on his features.

"Is it true that a Death Eater was posing as Moody?" Dean questioned.

That was something that had been bugging him ever since Dumbledore made the announcement and the Daily Prophet wrote a piece about it. Not so surprisingly, the others were just rather bummed out and horrified that they had been taught by a Death Eater. None of them, to the best of his knowledge, shared any of his concerns.

"Yes," Harry and Hermione answered shortly at the same time.

Dean nodded, acknowledging that he believed them, and frowned heavily. There had been a slight possibility that Dumbledore and the Prophet had been wrong or lying, but he believed Harry on his word. He knew the other boy, and he had no reason to lie.

"Why?" Ron asked then. The other two were looking on curiously by his side, and Dean glanced at them all in turn before motioning them to come closer.

They took a couple of steps forward and crouched down, looking at Dean expectantly.

"He was using the real Moody's stuff, wasn't he?" Dean stated rather than asked, and at their nods he bit his lip. "So he had the magical eye as well, didn't he?"

The others nodded again, but still looked rather confused as to what the problem was. Hermione seemed thoughtful, though, and Dean was sure she'd figure it out soon enough even without him explaining further what he meant.

"The eye can see through things, like the walls and all," Dean said, and realization flashed in Hermione's eyes. "Who's to say the fake didn't use it to look into the bathrooms or dorms - or even see through people's clothes?"

The boys blinked before their features turned to disgusted and horrified. Hermione was frowning and looking highly upset and she was probably calculating the likelihood of something like that happening.

"Just because he's a Death Eater, it doesn't necessarily mean that he's a paedophile," she commented anxiously.

Suddenly Dean was the receiver of many worried looks – they had apparently remembered what his boggart had been last year.

He felt like rolling his eyes. He could talk about the subject – nowadays – without having a flashback or a panic attack.

"No, it doesn't, but there are older teenagers here as well. And he was an escaped convict, right? So he hadn't had a lot of chances to get laid or even see someone, well, naked – so it's not that big of a stretch to imagine him looking through clothes or bathroom walls," Dean stated.

His thoughts caused the others to frown even more heavily, apparently deciding that he was right.

"But we don't know that. And the real Moody could technically do something like that as well," Ron weakly tried to object.

None of them wanted to think that the Death Eater had done something along those lines, but unfortunately, the possibility was very real.

"And we don't know that he didn't," Dean countered.

He had been unable to stop thinking about it ever since he had first found out about the fake, but no one else seemed to be upset over the same reasons as he was. And he hadn't really wanted to raise a huge fuss about it now when there was nothing to be done; the man was soulless anyway.

"Do you think spells like those cast on Moody's eye are rare?" Hermione asked suddenly.

The boys all froze for a second while their brains tried to catch up with that alarming thought.

"I don't know," Ron finally murmured. He had the most knowledge of the wizarding world out of the four of them, having been raised in a magical family and all.

It was truly concerning; there could be a lot of others with eyes or even glasses like that, just walking around and invading others' privacy without a thought.

"If neither of you have heard of it, then perhaps it's not that common?" Harry suggested with a weak smile. His expression begged them to agree with him.

Hermione and Ron glanced at each other.

"Maybe," the Gryffindor genius said doubtfully. Their knowledge of the magical world didn't include everything, after all, and it was possible that they just had a gap concerning the subject.

"I haven't read about any spell like that, though, so at least that can't be common knowledge," Hermione mentioned, trying to reassure herself as much as the others.

"True. Do you think there are spells to protect from eyes like Moody's?" Dean questioned.

If there was, he was going to learn it. He didn't care if it was a seventh year spell or forbidden; he was sure as hell going to learn it.

"There should be some at least," Hermione answered, looking thoughtful now. Then she suddenly stood up from the crouch she had been in. "I'm going to go look through the library."

The boys watched her leave with admiration and a small sense of relief.

"If anyone can find a counter spell or charm, it's Hermione," Ron commented, earning nods from the other two.

Dean felt like he could breathe a little easier now, having shared his concerns and talked about them with someone else.

"Wait, Ron, I just thought about something," Harry suddenly said, his expression distressed once again. Dean and Ron turned to look at him. "What about Scabbers?"

Dean blinked in confusion. What did Ron's old rat have to do with anything?

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_A/N: So, like I said, it was pfanna that got me thinking about this so kudos to them. But seriously, a Death Eater with a way of seeing through walls and so on? (I'm not sure if it can actually see through clothing) No one found it disturbing that he was in a castle full of children and teenagers? I suppose it's possible that dorms etc were protected against magic like that, but not once is it mentioned in the books._

_Also, I left the story there because Dean obviously doesn't know that Scabbers is Pettigrew, and you can assume that Harry and Ron continued the conversation elsewhere. (But really, the man slept in the same bed as Ron, sat on his lap and so on? No one found _that_ disturbing? Not a single adult at any point asked Ron and Percy if the man posing as a rat had done anything to them? Really?)_

_Again, I have no idea how long it'll be until the next chapter is up. And as always, reviews are golden~_


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